Eli Roth on Genre Fans



As a newcomer to the community of horror film buffs, hearing Roth's harsh words for lovers of the horror flick was a little surprising. I feel it is a tendency in the cinema universe for the original film in a franchise to be regarded as the most unique, visionary, special and oftentimes superior to the sequels or prequels. That seems to go across all genres of film. Yes, of course, there are exceptions, with the few coming to my mind at the moment being Star Wars episodes V and VI which are frequently viewed, at least among film watchers that I know, to be at least equal to the original 1977 blockbuster film, Terminator 2, which is widely viewed as a sci-fi legend and Aliens, which provided a breathtaking move toward the the action genre after the 1979 horror classic Alien.

While different genres have hits and misses with sequels and prequels, it seems horror film franchises have the hardest of luck, at least in terms of their reception from the genre's followers. I think that is what Roth is getting at in the clip. Perhaps horror film audiences expect to have the same visceral effect from subsequent pictures, and they are disappointed when the story appears stagnant in a sequel. There is definitely something lost after the first viewing of a quality horror film. It might be less of an adrenaline rush, less jumpiness as a result of the conventions of the genre, that makes repeat viewings of these films not as satisfying for a sizable portion of the audience. Perhaps horror fans are, compared to audience's of other genres, in the most need of something new from their favorite franchises.

Roth argues that even with the desire for "new horror," fans still come out in droves to see sequels and prequels, further fueling the fire of the seemingly endless cycle, and eventual remakes (or re-imaginings). That definitely seems to be the case with the continuance of the Saw franchise and the new remake of A Nightmare on Elmstreet (2010). A notable exception to the disappointing horror film sequel was 1994's Wes Craven's New Nightmare, which marked a return to the series for Craven.

What really awes me about this short interview clip is that Roth claims that fans of the genre and its powerful sub-genres don't welcome newcomers to the scene. Perhaps its a nostalgic look back at some of the "masters" of horror such as Carpenter, Craven, Cronenberg, etc., that makes a taste of contemporary horror filmmakers depressing for already jaded audiences. The advent of the moniker "torture porn" might have given fans a term to help describe their itching for the height of the slasher films to return. Roth seems a little bitter during the clip and it would be interesting to find out under what context he said it. One thing is for sure, I think Roth was completely misguided when he said that fans of the genre might be jealous of these new movies, or perhaps of the filmmakers as Roth seems to be implying, simply because the majority of audiences, regardless of the genre, are not aspiring filmmakers. It's absurd to suggest that notion.
Posted by Panic Picture at 5/18/2010 12:54 AM
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: A Nightmare on Elmstreet Eli Roth New Nightmare The Evil Dead
 

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